Independence Day
by Hoenn Master96
Summary: Independence Day is just around the corner, and Gym Leader Skyla is planning something big: However, when a mysterious stranger from Hoenn arrives on the scene, things start to get out of hand around him; leaving Skyla to wonder at just WHAT the true identity of this mysterious pilot is.
1. Chapter 1

**A Chance Encounter**

A Pokémon Fan-Fiction

By Hoenn Master

"Sometimes it is difficult to know for certain when love begins; it is far easier to know that it has begun"- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

_**A.N.**_

_**This is my first time trying to write in the third person limited, so go easy on me please. _**I would just like to take this time and say that the sheer amount of Yuri in Skyla's section of FF.N, is nothing short of appalling. This story will be the first of many straight Skyla stories, and I hope that I can start a trend in the right direction.**_**_

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><p>In the Unova region, there are many events, each varying in scale and grandeur, when the topic of Independence Day is brought up in any conversation. Even the Gym Leaders, who are well acquainted with each other, and rarely on bad footing, have a friendly rivalry when it comes to the matter of an Independence Day celebration. Each Leader had their own event that they themselves participated in, and presided over. Some, like Elesa, had large, elaborate, and expensive celebrations held, and parties that lasted far into the night. Others, the ones who lived in the smaller cities, decided to hold competitions of strength, skill, and intelligence for man and Pokémon alike.<p>

In the city of Mistralton where Leader Skyla, a new leader who had taken over for her father just two months prior to Independence Day at the age of eighteen, had been planning to host a very unique event: An airshow, followed by an air race, that went from Mistralton to Nimbassa city, and back again. When Skyla announced this idea to the general public, people from across the entire region became excited to see the spectacle of an air race, as it was, 'a novel idea for a new Gym Leader to begin her career with a bang'. This, is where our story begins.

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><p>"I want a check on <em>all<em> of _every_ plane's systems, and I want it done _today_! I don't need a malfunctioning plane during the show! We only have two more weeks!" A red haired and rather eccentrically dressed woman barked, causing her Gym assistants to wince, and return to work, from which they had been taking a liberal break; no doubt assuming that their new Leader would go easy on them because she was still new to her position. _"Now I see why dad was so hard on the Gym Trainers; he needed to be to get anything done!"_ The woman's thoughts were broken into, however, when one of the older Gym Trainers and mechanics, walked up behind Skyla, and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Miss Skyla, you won't get any respect from the trainers that way; though, I confess, that they needed that little wake up call," the mechanic said after Skyla had turned around to face him.

"… I just want to run this Gym as well as my father did, but I don't know how I'm going to handle all of this pressure; I mean, with everything going on, I'm a little… Overwhelmed," Skyla murmured after a short silence, turning away from Cliff, and shrugging her shoulders slightly.

"I have absolute confidence in your leading abilities, Miss Skyla. Just remember, don't overwork yourself, and you'll be fine," Cliff comforted, resting his hand on Skyla's shoulder for a moment, and then walking away, leaving Skyla to her thoughts. However, Skyla barely felt the gesture of kindness, as she was too wrapped in her thoughts and worries to notice.

Skyla walked back to her office in the rear of the hanger, still wrapped up in her emotions and worries and simply sat at her desk, mulling over how best to proceed with her plans, and trying to get a grip on her wayward emotions. After what seemed to be only a few minutes, Skyla checked the clock, and was surprised to find that it was already eight o'clock in the evening!

_"It couldn't have been two hours, could it?"_ Skyla mused, standing up from her chair, and heading for the door to close the Gym for the night; however, the Gym's video-phone began to ring loudly from its perch on the wall opposite her desk, forcing Skyla to change direction, and answer it. When Skyla picked up the receiver, and had turned on the video feed, she was greeted by a young man, who couldn't be over twenty-five, starring straight into her face with an emotionless mask, and a background displaying a comfortable living-room: Pokemon occasionally darting across it.

"Hello, would this happen to be the Mistralton airport? And if so, may I speak to Leader Skyla? It's urgent," The clean shaven, blonde haired, light blue eyed man said in a light baritone; not quite bass, but certainly not tenor either.

"Yes, this is the gym, and yes, this is Leader Skyla, how can I help you?" Skyla said, nonplussed as to what this man could want, and how he could have obtained the Gym's number: _"He must've called the Pokémon Center and had his call redirected,"_ Skyla thought as she sat down in the wooden chair propped up against a desk below the phone.

"Ah, thank you for your time, Miss Skyla. I promise to make this as expedient as possible: It is my understanding that you are to have an air show in two weeks; am I correct?" the man said politely, getting straight to the point. He sat comfortably back into his chair, and sipped from a glass of water, waiting for a response from the somewhat taken aback Leader.

Recovering swiftly, Skyla responded enthusiastically, "You are correct; however, if you wish to participate, I'll need your name, the type of aircraft you are going to enter, the pilot of the plane, and when you will be arriving."

"Ah, of course: My name is Richard Brown: pilot, rancher, and historian. I am entering a Republic P-47D-25 Thunderbolt from Hoenn, and, if you will allow me to intrude upon your hospitality, I shall arrive at your airport in two days," Richard stated, placing his glass down, and leaning forward to rest his arms upon the table beneath the phone unit.

Skyla sat back in her chair at those words, shocked at the speed of his response, and the fact that such a rare plane would be in her airshow. Finally finding her voice, she stammered, "N-no, that is enough. Thank you very much!... Though, I am wondering, why do you want to come over to Unova and display your plane at an event that shouldn't mean much to you, being from Hoenn and all?"

"I happen to have business in Unova at the present time," Richard started, straightening his relaxed posture, and the tone of his voice betraying a deep set passion, "and I thought-" Richard continued, leaning closer to the screen, voice dropping in volume, "-that my plane deserves to fly over its homeland once again, just as it did seventy years ago. Don't you agree Miss Skyla?" Richard finished, once again relaxing his posture in one of a comfortable conversation, and not one of secretive planning.

Skyla simply stared forward at the screen, equal parts ecstatic at the prospect of seeing such a rare plane in close quarters, and suspicion at this Richard's cryptic answer.

"I agree completely, Mister Brown; I will expect you two days from now, on Saturday, June the twenty-third," Skyla said, writing down the date on a notepad on the phone-desk specifically for that purpose, and making a mental note to question this... Richard, further.

"Thank you very much, Miss Skyla; I hope have a proper conversation with you when I arrive. And thank you for your generosity," Richard concluded, hanging up his end of the line, causing the screen to go blank.

Skyla only hesitated for a few moments lost in thought about this strange man that clearly had some other agenda working at the moment, as the thought that someone coming all the way from Hoenn, just to display an aircraft, was ludicrous.

_"Well, I'll just have to wait and see what this, Richard, does then it's not like he would be able to do much out here; he would have gone to Nimbassa for that,"_ Skyla wondered while walking to the doors and locking them securely._ "Still, I've only a P-47 in seventy year old pictures my grandfather had, and I _am_ curious to see what they look like up close and personal."_

Finishing her task, Skyla left the Gym, and headed up to her dormitory on the upper floor of the hanger, and after she had changed into her sleeping clothes, promptly fell asleep, the stresses of the day forgotten, and dreamless sleep welcomed her.

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><p><strong><em>A.N.<em>**

**_If anyone likes what they see, then please tell me so in a review! Also, I have a poll up on my profile to see what the public opinion is about Skyla's pages around here. Have a look!_**

**_Signed: Hoenn Master, forever a patriot._**


	2. Chapter 2

**Independence Day Chapter Two: Why I'm here**

A Pokémon Fan-Fiction

By Hoenn Master

'Thinking of you wherever you are: We pray for our sorrows to end, and hope that our hearts will blend; now I step forward to realize this wish. And who knows, starting a new journey may not be so hard; in fact, it might have already begun. We share many worlds, but they share the same sky-one sky- and one destiny.'- Kairi, Kingdom Hearts I and II

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><p>It was late in the morning before Skyla awakened to the bright sunlight of mid-morning, and the delicious scent of bacon and eggs wafting up to her from the communal kitchen her Gym was equipped with. Skyla sat up and groaned whilst she stretched, slipping out of bed, and proceeded to change out of her camisole and short shorts, into her usual top, shorts, and boots. Fastening her parachute knife to her thigh, and her hair bun on her way out of her bedroom door, Skyla then stepped out of the short hallway that separated her room from the main hanger, and walked to where the Gym Trainers were gathered, eating the bacon she had smelled earlier, while swapping stories about the other regions they had been to, and how different they were to Unova.<p>

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><p>"So I see this little punk whip out a Pokéball, call out a Pokémon called Septile, and then he and that older kid start a Pokémon battle right there in the middle of the street! That little kid sure put that older kid in his place though, because it was no less than two minutes later that the older kid's Aggron was withdrawn into its Pokéball, and he was paying the younger kid handsomely," the trainer finished, sitting back into his chair, the older man grabbed a piece of bacon, which he promptly stuck into his mouth like a some sort of comical cigar.<p>

"Oh really, Todd? Are you_ sure_ you aren't exaggerating?" Cliff joked, helping himself to a piece of bacon, and taking a bite, he continued, "I saw this one guy in Hoenn when I was taking some dairy products from Fortree, and man! Could he- Miss Skyla! Good morning!" Cliff cut himself off when he took notice of Skyla's presence, standing up to make room at the table for her. Everyone else jumped up at the same time, the revelation of their Leader's presence surprising them. They began to relax, however, when she didn't yell at them for being lazy and slacking off by telling stories: Quite the contrary, Skyla was very interested in what her underling and good friend had seen, and what the topic of conversation had been.

"What about that guy in Hoenn, Cliff? I'd like to hear about him; he sounds like a really powerful trainer to merit your praise," Skyla teased, playfully jabbing Cliff in the ribs, and snagging a piece of bacon from the table before anyone could react to her strange behavior.

Her other underlings just stared at her as if he had grown a second head, or, more preferably to her, a set of wings. Looking at each of her underlings, she said, "What? I'm not _that_ bad… Am I?" she turned to an abashed Cliff for a response, noting the Deerling-in-headlights look he was giving the other underlings.

Cliff hesitated for another moment, but it seemed he could no longer contain his words, as they began to tumble out of his mouth a moment later. "Well… Recently, you _have _been a bit of a taskmaster, Skyla," Cliff rushed, cheeks flushing, while he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment at being put on the spot, and scuffing the tip of his right boot on the floor, looking sheepish.

Skyla simply looked around at her comrades, "… Well, I'm sorry for that, guys, I'm just under a _lot_ of pressure to get Independence Day done right.," she apologized, then, turning to Cliff, she continued in a much more casual tone, "I'm still waiting for the rest of your story, Cliff."

"Ah! Okay…" Cliff started, looking up from the floor, and continued, "Uh, as I was saying, I was picking up some supplies from Fortree about two years ago now, and this guy… What was his name? Rick? Raymond? Ah, forget it: Anyway, this guy asks if he can help, and when I answer yes, he picks up the whole crate, and that thing was about a hundred pounds! Then he carries it to the loading bay, and then he reorganizes the _entire_ plane! When I asked him what he was doing, he laughed and said that it would be harder to fly the plane if we loaded it like we had," Cliff exclaimed excitedly, laughing and swinging his hands to further emphasize his astonishment at such a feat of strength.

"You're kidding!" Todd said; waving off the story like it was nothing. "No one would want to load and organize that thing; it'd hurt too much to do it alone."

"I kid you not Todd. I couldn't believe it either, until the guy said that he was one of the ranchers that live in the area, and that he had to do that kind of stuff all the time…" Cliff trailed off for a moment, thinking about something that Skyla couln't begin to guess at. "I'd like to see that guy in a Pokémon battle though! He'd probably mop the floor with any trainer that came around here!" Cliff exclaimed suddenly, causing everyone to jump slightly. At this, Cliff started to laugh, along with everyone present with the exception of Skyla.

Skyla had a thoughtful look on her face from the information, however, and hadn't even herd the Cliff's outburst. "What did this guy look like though, Cliff? If you remember any details about him that is," Skyla asked, trying to save at least a little face in front of her underlings, and crossed her arms defensively across her chest.

"Why would you want to know?" Cliff asked, furrowing his brow at the Gym Leader in confusion, and meeting her eyes with ease.

"Well, I talked on the phone with a guy from Hoenn last night, saying he had a plane to enter, and he said that he was a rancher," Skyla responded nervously, tapping her chin with a finger, while she thought, "I'd just like to see if we might have met the same guy…"

"Okay then… Uh, he had blonde hair, he was pretty tall, and he had very strange blue eyes. Nothing about them would lead anyone to suspect anything wrong, but… They just seemed… Different, like they were looking straight into my soul, and calculating my demise or something, yet he only ever looked at my face and was a gentleman the whole time we were talking…" Cliff trailed off, turning his head and staring at the now almost depleted plate of bacon; lost in apparent thought.

"Hmm, that was the vibe I got from him too when we were on the vid-phone… By the way, I think he said his name was Richard," Skyla mused, turning away from her underlings, she then announced that she would go to her office, and that she wanted everyone to get back to work for Independence Day preparations.

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><p>When Skyla was out of hearing range, Todd stood up, dumped the now empty bacon plate into the sink, and picked up his tools to begin organizing the hanger for the new arrival. "Well, I need to get some more planning done if I'm to have this place ready for another plane… Wait a second; did Skyla ever say what model of plane this Richard guy was flying?" Todd asked Cliff pointedly, turning around to look back at the senior flight officer.<p>

Cliff looked taken aback at the sudden question, and, looking back at the hanger master, he paused for a moment before answering. "… No, I don't think she did," Cliff said, narrowing his eyes slightly at the thought; usually Skyla picked up on the details like that…

"Looks like I'll have to ask Skyla about that; see ya Cliff!" Todd called from his retreating shoulder, heading for Skyla's office, and drawing up plans for the new hanger layout.

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><p>The rest of the day went by without any significant event. No trainers came knocking on the front doors demanding battle, and no planes were scheduled to arrive until the next day. By the time eight o'clock rolled around, everyone, including Skyla, was bored out of their minds, and everyone was ready to call it a night.<p>

Just when everyone had begun to lay their burden down, the distant roar of a piston powered aircraft broke the silence, along with the aircraft proximity warning, alerting everyone to the presence of an unknown aircraft inbound. Suddenly, the crackle of the comm. radio in her office made Skyla jump up, and rush over to the device to try and catch was had been said, and to grab her Pokéballs.

"What, please repeat that, unknown aircraft," Skyla said, hoping that this wasn't an attack of some sort on her airfield.

"**Attention, Mistralton airport, this is the Republic P-47D-25 Thunderbolt, 'Knight's Wing', do you copy?"**

"Yes I copy you, 'Knight's Wing', though, I was expecting you tomorrow, Mister Brown: Why are you here? I was about to send Sawanna after you, and shoot down that little plane of yours," she commented, relief and no small amount of anger tainting her voice.

"**I apologize, Miss Skyla; I had forgotten about the interregional dateline, and I was about a day ahead of you. At any rate, I've been up here for about eight hours, and I'm jetlagged, so if you will accommodate me, I'd like some sleep, and I'll give you a full explanation when I land,"** Brown said wearily, flying over the airport on a first pass, and banking for his landing attempt.

"So you expect to just waltz into my airspace, and then use my airfield after scaring everyone here? 'Knight's Wing', I'll give you permission to land, and you can have a room in the Pokémon Center, but I want answers Mister Brown! And I want them as soon as you land!" Skyla yelled, certainly not pleased with the situation. Turning off the radio, and heading outside to watch Mister Brown land. Skyla stepped out into the warm evening air, and watched as Brown landed flawlessly on the short runway, and taxied to their position. Oh yes, Brown would get quite an earful for this.

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><p><em><strong>A.N.<strong>_

_**I hope that anyone who reads this is satisfied with how I potray Skyla, and that I'm not axing her...**_

_**Signed: Hoenn Master, forever a patriot.**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Independence Day Chapter Three: The Mysterious Pilot**

A Pokémon Fan-Fiction

By Hoenn Maser

"Maybe if everyone looked at everything that was the same, instead of what is different; well, who knows what could happen?"- Meowth Pokémon: The First Movie!

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><p>The intimidatingly large aircraft came to halt mere feet from the assembled Gym trainers, massive engine vibrating healthily, and forcing the trainers to cover their ears from the noise. After a lengthy pause, the propellers finally began to slow down, and allowed access to the cockpit high above, the final rays of sunlight glinting through the 'bubble' canopy, and sending the pilot's face into shadow. Once the engine had come to a full stop, the canopy began to open, an addible hiss from the pressure change coming from the aircraft, and allowing the pilot to exit his plane.<p>

The tall pilot before them had on what appeared to be black flight boots, tan pants of some sort, a thick leather flight jacket, lined with some kind of material, though it was impossible to accurately tell with the dark lighting, and a stiff Navy blue flat-topped hat, with a well-polished black brim and the circular Hoennian Royal Air Force seal just above it.

The underlings simply stood, watching the pilot exit his plane in silence, never looking in the direction of Gym personnel, and never even acknowledging their existence; clearly more interested in his plane. The enraged Gym Leader, however, quickly strode up to the side of the plane, abandoning all semblance of thought, and began to give the unfortunate man a through tongue lashing.

"What were you thinking, coming to the Gym at this time of the day? You nearly gave me a heart attack coming in unannounced, and setting off my proximity alarms! I came _this close_-" Skyla screamed, holding her fingers a miniscule amount of space apart, as the assembled trainers winced in sympathy for the pilot. "-to sending out my _entire_ Pokémon team after you; and don't even get me started on that 'interregional dateline' pile of Bouffalant!" Skyla continued, waving her arms around to further show her rage. She continued on and on, barely pausing for breath between rants, before starting up again, allowing no time for a response… If one was ever given at all, Skyla never heard it.

All the while, the man simply ignored her; never flinching, never even behaving like she was there: Instead, he was fiddling with a small latch on the side of his plane, and seemed to be having a difficult time with the lock, when, finally, an audible 'click' was heard, and a small hatch clicked open.

An astounding sight lay before the Gym Leader, effectively cutting off her rant: A simple sword, in a beautifully wrought iron sheath; though, why the tall and obviously well-built Richard would have any need of a sword, and why he would even have such an ancient piece of technology, Skyla couldn't tell; (hopefully he wouldn't feel the need to use it), and a thick, Navy blue belt, holding six standard Hoennian Pokéballs; unmarked, and polished to a mirror-like finish, glinting in the waning sunlight.

Richard fastened the belt to his waist, blade on the right side, designating him as left-handed; and then snapped the Pokéballs into place. Richard must have deemed it time for a respond to Skyla's behavior, as he turned, bent over slightly, and muttered to her while looking her straight in the eye, in a smooth, polite voice that flowed like a peaceful river, music reverberating in his voice like soothing ocean breakers upon a rocky shore. "Good evening, Miss Skyla; I apologize for my unexpected arrival, and the stress that it has caused you: I neglected to calculate the time difference between our regions, and therefore ended up with a number of extra hours, as I'm sure you could have guessed. Now, if you will excuse me, and allow me to intrude upon your hospitality for just a few more minutes to gather the rest of my affects, I shall be on my way," and with those parting words, Richard saluted, and walked around the tail of his plane, stopping on the exact opposite side of where he had been before.

Skyla followed in shock, trying to recover from Richard's calculating gaze, while said pilot unlocked a compartment identical to the one on the opposite side; this time drawing out a small duffel bag, and a number of folded black bags with hangers attached to them, and proceeded to explain the exact dimensions of the plane to her, giving her necessary hanger information in that strangely attractive voice; yet was ignored by her addled mind. Fortunately, Todd had decided to choose that moment to appear, brown hair tousled as always, and green eyes darting between Richard, and the beautiful aircraft; preventing an embarrassing explanation from Skyla about her inattention to the conversation, and the reason behind it.

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><p>When Richard had finished informing Todd of his plans, and where he would be staying, Richard gave a final salute, and turned away to depart for the Pokémon Center, where a warm bed, and hot food would be waiting.<p>

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><p>The following day brought little change to the Gym: No activity on any front; no trainers to defeat, and no planes scheduled to land. In short, Skyla was bored out of her mind, and she was looking for any excuse to get out and do<em> something<em>. Sighing in resignation, Skyla stood up from her desk, grabbed her Pokéball belt, and walked outside to train with her Pokémon, only glancing for a moment at the looming air-frame of Richard's craft on her right.

When Skyla stepped onto the tarmac of her Gym slash airport, Pidove chirping, an unexpected, (but oh so amusing), sight greeted her eyes: Richard, again in his flight suit, but instead of the leather jacket, he had a white long-sleeved collared shirt with a black tie, with something glittering on his wrists and the middle of his neck piece and a black vest, sitting at a portable game table with Cliff and Todd in their mechanic jumpsuits, playing some sort of board game. Apparently, Richard was dominating his opposition, as Cliff was gripping his head in frustration, while Todd was snickering at the unfortunate Cliff.

Skyla began to walk up to the trio to ask what they were doing, when Richard's calm baritone broke the relative silence.

"I tried to warn you, Cliff; it's a fool's errand to try a frontal charge, but you failed to listen; now, you pay the price;" Richard stated, moving a blue piece into Cliff's territory, and removing his crimson piece from it. "It would appear that I have claimed victory over you, Cliff: Next time, try and be more careful with your troops, as I'm well versed in the art of military strategy, and it is unwise to attempt such bold tactics with me. Perhaps, I could instruct you on proper military technique-"

"Don't patronize me, Richard! Keep going! I'm going to beat you yet!" Cliff exclaimed, cutting off Richard, and glaring at the game board with such intensity, that Skyla idly wondered why the board hadn't caught on fire from the hostility of the gaze upon it.

"Very well, Cliff, but I assure you the outcome will be the same," Richard sighed, and leaned back into his chair, placing a large palm on his face, and leaving it there.

"What kind of game are you playing, Mister Brown?" Skyla found herself asking, striding up to the blonde pilot, and staring at the tiled board, marveling at the complexity of Richard's pieces.

It was a very strange board, indeed. Lined into a checkered pattern of ten tiles by ten tiles, the spaces were sand colored, and in the middle, were two lakes where there was nothing, along with a large number of crimson and cobalt game pieces, with the crimson side at an impossible disadvantage; obviously the source of Cliff's ire.

Richard simply looked up at Skyla's face, and stated in an unsurprised tone, while Cliff and Todd jumped slightly, "It is an old strategy game by the name of 'Stratego'. I happened to bring with me a number of my favorite board games and music albums, and I thought that Cliff and Todd would be interested in strategy; however, Cliff seems to have lost his composure, and I took advantage of that, allowing me to gain victory."

Cliff seemed to be getting more and more angry at these words, and finally, it seemed he could no longer suppress his anger, and shouted at the unimpressed pilot, "That's it! I challenge you to a Pokemon battle, Richard! If I lose, then I'll take strategy lessons from you; if I win, you'll let my fly your plane for a whole week!" Cliff burst out, standing up from the table, and staring Richard straight in the eye, flinching slightly when the normally warm blue ocean of his eyes turned into glacial depths of anger and resentment.

Standing up to his full and considerable height, Richard towered a full head over Cliff, and glared at the shorter man straight in the eye while he responded icily, "… Very well, Cliff, I accept your terms. The battle will take place immediately: However, I will say one thing; if you think that I will lose to you while you are in this state of mind, then you are sadly misinformed. I hope you are ready to have a crash course in humility, fool," Richard stated, seemingly unaffected by Cliff's shouting, as he kept his voice low and civil, while he put away the game into a wooden box marked 'Stratego', and picking up his sword that was hanging on the edge of the table, with all of his Pokeballs in the catches.

"I guess that this means that I'm going to have to be referee… Oh well, I was bored watching Cliff get his butt handed to him over and over again, anyway," Todd sighed theatrically, walking to the sidelines of the tarmac, and getting ready for the battle.

Standing up from the table, Richard and Cliff walked a fair ways away from the tarmac, and stopped in the lane between the two runways, Cliff glaring at Richard, while the other man simply stood nonchalantly, hands in his pockets. Skyla was surprised at Cliff's hostility, as it was very out of character of him; but losing repeatedly did that to people. Either that, or discourage then completely: Skyla had seen both in her challengers, and neither one was pleasant to behold.

"This will be a two Pokémon per team battle, Cliff, the challenger has the first move, and I will have no substitutions for the duration," Richard calmly stated, picking out one of his Pokéballs, and enlarging it.

"Very well, Richard: Prepare to lose!" and with that, Cliff and Richard simultaneously called out their Pokémon, and the battle began.

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><p><em><strong>A.N.<strong>_

_**I hope that I captured and angry Cliff right… It's hard to write someone in-character, even though Cliff only appears in-game…**_

_**Why does this feel like it needs attention... Oh well.**_

_**Signed: Hoenn Master, forever a patriot.**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Independence Day Chapter Four: When enough is enough**

A Pokémon Fan-Fiction

By Hoenn Master

"Remember man, thou art but dust; and to dust thou shalt return."- The ceremonial words used when receiving the ashes at the Ash Wednesday ceremony. (Catholic)

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><p>"Go! Tranquill!" Cliff shouted, lobbing a plain red and silver Unovian Pokéball over the center of the runway field, releasing a somewhat small drab grey and black headed bird, grinning smugly the whole while. As bewildered as Skyla was with Cliff's one eighty from his usual personality, she could easily tell that the older brunette was sorely outclassed, and that he would easily lose to Brown in mere moments.<p>

Brown simply looked at his opponent's Pokémon, clearly unimpressed with the leering Flying type opponent. Nonchalantly removing a Pokéball from his sword belt, Richard enlarged it, and deftly pitched the capsule high into the air, releasing a tall, red, and extremely fierce looking… Bird? It stood on two legs, and it had scaled arms, but its body was covered in thick down with white-feathered protrusions growing out of the back of its head, and it had a beak. It was, hands down, one of the strangest Pokémon she had ever seen.

What had been disconcerting about Brown's actions, however, was the simple fact that he never took his eyes off of Cliff, or his Tranquill, giving them a strange look of… Pity? Skyla couldn't tell for sure, but what she did know, was that Cliff would be beating a hasty retreat as soon as he ordered an attack.

"I believe you should have the advantage of the first move, Mister Cliff, you shall certainly need it," Brown scoffed boldly, smirking at the incensed Gym Trainer all the while.

This comment, above all, seemed to push Cliff over the edge of his threshold of control, as he quickly barked an order his Pokémon, "Fine then, kid! Tranquill, use Sky Drop and end this quickly!"

Skyla watched in rapt attention as Cliff's Pokémon took to the skies, while Brown's Pokémon simply scoffed, crossed his arms, and waited for the highly dangerous attack to bear down upon him, tapping his foot on the ground to emphasize his impatience for the battle to commence. Suddenly, Tranquill dive bombed Brown's Pokémon and incredible speed, wind whistling over the Flying type's wings, and targeting its opponent's shoulders, ready to grab it and carry it into the sky and subsequently drop it from great heights. However, Brown's Pokémon clearly had other plans. Waiting until the last possible moment, Brown's Pokémon did one of the most astounding thins Skyla had ever seen in her time as a trainer: it plucked the diving Pokémon out of the air, inches from his target, and casually used the accumulated momentum to slam the unfortunate avian into the grass with a wet, bone crushing thud.

It wasn't a pretty sight. The Tranquill lay there, clearly unconscious, and would be in quite a lot of pain if the size of the crater he left was any indication of the forces that he had endured.

Skyla gasped in awe at the sheer force of the strange Pokémon's throw; the last time she had seen so much power in an attack, had been when the latest winner of the Unova League had gone up against a member of the Elite Four, and that had been over three years ago!

"Woah… Th- The winner is Richard, and his Pokémon," Todd said shakily, putting the arm closest to Brown in the air, signifying his victory over Cliff.

"Bah, he was weaker than I thought… We should have gone easier on him, Blaziken," Brown muttered calmly, turning his attention to the now empty crater that Tranquill had left behind. "I'm sorry about that, Cliff; next time, Blaziken and I will fight with less power than that, and you will actually get to see one of my partner's techniques in action," Brown continued, rolling his shoulders and getting comfortable, while Blaziken jabbed his fists in extremely rapid succession.

"I still have another Pokémon, Richard! Don't count me out just yet!" Cliff called desperately, sweating profusely at this point, and shaking from head to toe: Presumably from shock at the unexpected power of Richard's Blaziken, and the stress that losing a Pokémon so quickly in a battle causes.

"What? You wish to continue? …Very well, it is your Pokémon at risk, Cliff, not mine," Brown said, somewhat taken aback at Cliff's stubborn attitude, but nonetheless willing to continue the 'battle'.

"As if it could be called a battle," Skyla muttered tersely, looking on at the now continued battle between her friend, and this stranger that seemed to be far more than he appeared… And, truth be told, Brown was somewhat terrifying to behold.

"Okay, here's the last match between Richard and Cliff. Begin!" Todd shouted, moving rapidly out of the way of any errant attacks; if Blaziken was that strong without even trying, Todd could only shudder inwardly at the strength of Richard's fearsome Pokémon at full power.

"Go! Tranquill!" Cliff shouted again, this time, with no small amount of trepidation leaking into his voice, and ruining the effect.

"I believe I shall take the first move this time, Cliff; what say you?" Brown said nonchalantly, eyes panning over to the tense Gym Trainer, looking for a response in his murky brown eyes.

"V-Very well then, Richard," Cliff strained, clearing his throat in the middle of the first word in an effort to make himself better heard.

"Excellent," Brown returned politely, before shouting out unexpectedly, "Blaziken! Rock Slide, now!"

"Wait, what? NO!" Cliff shouted at the top of his lungs, just as Blaziken stomped the ground, causing a number of boulders to rise from the hardpan beneath the surface of the earth, and rapidly kicked the super effective boulders directly at the shocked bird Pokémon before him.

It was over in a little more than a second: Cliff's bird laid helplessly beneath a pile of large boulders twice his size, cawing softly in defeat and exhaustion. Before Todd could do more than say that the battle was over, Blaziken and Brown bounded over to the pitiful bird, and proceeded to lift the lodestones off of the poor creature, and permitting Cliff to recall it to the safety of the Pokéball's medical stasis. Cliff stood in mild shock for a few moments, clearly taken completely off guard against Brown's assault.

"Is your Pokémon okay, Cliff? I told Blaziken to relax a bit, and judging by the fact that your Pokémon is not dead, I can only be grateful he heeded my request," Brown said comfortingly, walking up to Cliff, resting a hand on the older man's shoulder, voice losing all of its earlier rage and malice, and returning to his usual smooth speech.

Cliff simply scoffed and turned his head and muttered something that Skyla didn't hear as she headed over to the combatants in the middle of the field. By the time Skyla reached Brown's location, Cliff had stalked off to the hanger to do who-knows what, and Brown was staring off into space idly, his still released Blaziken mimicking his trainer's action.

"That was _amazing_, Richard!" Todd burst in, clapping Brown on the back, shaking his hand vigorously all the while.

"Err, thank you, but the credit should go to Blaziken, he's the one who performed the physical aspect of the battle, after all," Brown murmured humbly, looking down at his boots.

"Hey, Brown, how long have you had that partner of yours? I know that it's a starter from Hoenn, but apart from that, I don't know anything about it," Skyla questioned, looking at Blaziken with a critical eye, and causing Brown's starter to look at her quizzically.

"Blaze Blaziken Blaze," Blaziken said quietly, narrowing his eyes.

Seeing this, Skyla paled slightly at the intense look Brown's Pokémon was giving her, asking quickly, "Uh… Brown, why is your Pokémon looking at me like I'm some sort of prey?"

"It's because you labeled him as an, 'it'. He doesn't take kindly to that," Brown observed while Blaziken simply huffed and nodded his agreement.

"Oh! I see," Skyla said, turning towards Blaziken as she spoke, "I'm sorry, Blaziken. I didn't know you were male; I'll remember that in future."

"Blaze ken Blaze" Blaziken said in a somewhat gentler tone, looking pleased upon hearing Skyla's sentence.

"Uh, huh. Moving right along," Skyla stated awkwardly, not wishing to enter into a one-sided conversation with the strange creature.

"Err, Miss Skyla, if it isn't a bother to you, may I again intrude upon your hospitality to send someone to show me the city? I may be strong, but, I am human, and I require sustenance to live," Brown requested quietly, rubbing the back of his neck as he did so.

"Uh…" Skyla floundered, unsure of Brown's exact meaning. It was times like these that Skyla wished she had paid attention in her vocabulary class at school instead of daydreaming about becoming a pilot.

"I think he said that he was hungry, Miss Skyla," Todd whispered into her ear.

"Ah. In that case, Mister Brown, I have business to attend to in town anyway, so I would be happy to show you around," Skyla recovered quickly, straightening her posture and walking towards town.

"Thank you, Miss Skyla, if I may be so bold, I find dining alone to be rather dull, so if you would accompany me for a luncheon, I would be most appreciative of your company," Richard stated to Skyla's back, watching as the woman froze mid-step, and slowly rotated to look him straight in the eye.

Todd couldn't believe his ears; had he just heard Richard ask Skyla on a _date_? What was even more surprising, however, was Skyla's reaction.

"I would be delighted to, Mister Brown. I don't like eating alone either, and I'm interested in hearing more about your Pokémon and how you managed to get them so powerful," Skyla agreed, smiling gently at the thought of learning more about Hoenn, and learning more about this strange trainer.

"I thank you for your time, Miss Skyla," Richard thanked, falling into step alongside the Gym Leader, and leaving a very perplexed Todd behind.

* * *

><p><em><strong>A.N.<strong>_

_**GAH! I'm sorry for taking so long! I have a lot of school to deal with, and for some reason, I couldn't find my muse, causing me to lose all ambition to write… I know it's not a very good excuse, but that is what happened…**_

_**Also, I have to thank Zangoose-Kira for the motivation, if she hadn't helped me, I probably wouldn't have finished this chapter at all…**_

_**Signed: Hoenn Master, forever a patriot.**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

A Pokémon Fan-Fiction

By Hoenn Master

"They've lived for you, they've wept with you, they've protected you, they've even _died_ for you, and yet you still don't know them. They are The United States Military, and you should support them with all of your ability, because they've done that for you too. Freedom isn't free, and our Military pays the price every day."- Myself

* * *

><p>Not long after they left behind the airport, Skyla turned to face Brown, blowing a stray lock of fiery hair out of her face, and crossed her arms.<p>

"First of all," the chipper woman began, ignoring the mildly surprised look on Brown's face, "I'd like to apologize for Cliff: What he did was stupid, and it reflected badly on him. Normally, he's much more laid back, but what with the stress of Independence Day, and the Leader changing and all, it's… Overwhelming, to me, and to my underlings," Skyla looked away just in time to miss the understanding look Brown was giving her.

Chuckling softly, Brown responded, "I completely understand, Miss Skyla. Cliff _was_ the one to suggest playing 'Stratego' in the first place, so I knew there was much more to his personality than what he displayed earlier."

Skyla quirked an eyebrow at this, and again turned to face the tall blonde. "Oh _really_? And is this how you took poor Cliff apart so easily? Now I'm _really_ impressed: Good looking, a rancher, great trainer, _and_ an observant strategist… I wonder why you don't have to beat girls off with a stick!" Skyla joked, playfully elbowing Brown in the ribs while laughing at the look of surprise on the normally stoic man's face.

Continuing on in silence, Skyla led the way into Mistralton City.

* * *

><p>"There is quite a lot of history to Mistralton, isn't there?" Brown wondered, looking upon the old buildings in admiration, continuing the conversation of history that had arisen over the course of their luncheon.<p>

"I guess you could say that; I mean, we aren't that significant to Unovian History, but Mistralton seems to be famous enough as it is, what with my Gym being so popular and all," Skyla giggled, seeing the look Brown was giving the hills around them.

"I suppose that _would_ get annoying- Oh, no," Brown cut himself off, staring at a tall, brown haired girl walking across the street, directly towards them. "Miss Skyla, it would appear that I have a pressing matter to attend to, and it seems that I must meet with someone."

"Wait, what? I'm having a lot of fun!" Skyla exclaimed in surprise, glaring at the tall man in distaste.

"Hey! Why didn't you respond to me, Richard? I called you like a bazillion Times!" the girl exclaimed loudly, clearly not caring that she was in public.

Brown winced, rotating slowly to meet the eyes of the strange girl, responding, "Hello, Christina, it's good to see you-"

"It's nice to see you too, Rich. Now listen up: If you think that you can go out on a date, and _not_ tell me, then that is an insult!" the girl interrupted Brown testily in an Alto trill.

"You know, sister, the reason I never tell you about these things is because this is _exactly_ what I wish to avoid…" Brown trailed off lamely.

"Just _what,_ exactly do you mean, Richard? I thought that you would at least confide in your _sister_ about these things!" Christina grinned, looking for all the world like the Cheshire Purrloin.

Deciding to bail Brown out, Skyla involved herself in the conversation. "It wasn't really a date," she began, "I was just telling Richard here about the history of Mistralton."

Giving Skyla a comfortable look, Christina replied, "Suuurre you were. Now, Richard-" Christina cut herself off, did a double take, and gaped at Skyla. "B-but… You're Gym Leader Skyla! How in the world did Rich here manage to pull off a date with _you_?"

In response, Brown simply turned his head, and sent a very potent glare towards his sibling, visibly manifesting his frustration at the situation. Christina scoffed in response, waving her hand in front of Brown's face as if to say, 'I'm not interested anymore'.

In that instant, Skyla could have sworn a bright blue flash emanated off of Brown's eyes, but as soon as it was there, it was gone.

"If that is your desire, then I shall be glad to cut down your pride, my sister. Let us away to a more… Open, location," Brown stated sardonically, taking a step forwards before Skyla could process what was happening.

"W-wait! What was _that_ about? You flashed blue, and then you're all calm again- and _now_ where are you going?" Skyla spluttered, struggling to keep pace with Brown and Christina, who were walking much faster than they should be able to, forcing Skyla to nearly run to keep up with them.

"**My sister and I are going to be training, and if you wish to watch, I am not adverse to the attention; however, if you want your personal safety not to be compromised, then I suggest you keep to a safe distance, seeing as we will be going all out,"** came Brown's voice: But, it also wasn't his voice... It was multi-tonal, and absolutely leaking with power and mystery. Skyla had to suppress an involuntary shiver at the sound that felt like boulders crashing in the mountains.

* * *

><p>After a long trek in silence, the two trainers stopped by a large lake, where many flying, water, and normal type Pokémon were gathered, each having peaceful interactions with the other. Turning his head, Brown did one of the strangest (and possibly most shocking) things she had ever seen in her life: He began to speak like a Pokémon, at which, the Pokémon surrounding them took heed of Brown's words, whatever they were, and retreated to a safe distance.<p>

Before Skyla could question upon anything, and act upon her utter surprise, Christina and Brown had already released their Pokémon.

Skyla watched with wonder as a large, blue, Pokémon with large arch-like fins atop its head, along with yellow arm guards to add to the already tough looking skin it had. The strange Pokemon began to fight with Brown's Blaziken, each moving faster than any other Pokémon she had yet seen, blurry and indestinct.

Suddenly, Christina called out in a similar multi-tonal voice as Brown's, **"Swampert! Surf!"** upon which, the lake beside them exploded in a torrent of water, which Blaziken barely dodged by jumping higher than Skyla thought possible, and crashed harmlessly in a tree.

As Blaziken began his decent, Skyla thought that she saw Richard's eyes flash blue, and the Pokemon began to glow with a cobalt blue Aura, straightening out his trajectory, and crashing down extremely hard on Christina's 'Swampert', and creating a small crater in the earth below.

Skyla honestly thought Brown's Pokémon had killed his opponent, so hard did the blow connect, but Christina only sighed dejectedly, and returned her moaning Pokémon to its ball, and called out another Pokémon, this time it was an… "Aerodactyl? How in the world did you get one of those? I thought they were extinct!" Skyla burst out, both happy that that species of Flying type was, in fact, still in existence, and fearful at the power of such an ancient Pokémon, as there had been an incident a few years ago that involved fossil Pokemon awakening from slumber and attacking a young boy.

Brown seemed unaffected at this new arrival, and Blaziken simply stepped off of the battlefield, allowing Brown to call out a… Gyarados. The atrocious Pokémon rested in the lake, huge, intimidating, and glaring with all its might at the flying fossil above it. Wasting no time with words or otherwise, the ancient Pokémon dive bombed the massive pseudo-dragon below, electricity leaking off its teeth as it did so.

Moving quickly, Gyarados dove deep into the water, brought its tail up into the air, and swatted the attacking Pokémon away, sending it crashing into the large lake. However, the Aerodactyl seemed to have made its mark on the atrocious Pokémon: Sparking bite marks made their presence known on its tailfin, and while the pseudo-dragon flinched in reflex, the flying fossil collided into the chin of the unfortunate Pokémon, sending it crashing into the water, unconscious.

Skyla was, quite understandably, shocked at the brutality, speed, and durability of these Pokémon. She knew for a _fact_, that most of those attacks would have killed _her_ Pokémon on the spot, yet these… _Monsters_, were taking and dishing out these attacks repeatedly! The fact that they only withstood a few of these impacts was unsurprising in context.

Returning his Pokémon, Brown leveled a gaze at his sibling, and said, **"Ah, I see you have grown in strength again, my sister. Perhaps, you should consider refining your technique before gaining any more power, though: You seem sloppy to my Pokemon and myself."**

The rebuttal was swift, and scathing. **"I don't need your help! Now call out your Pokémon!"** Christina shouted, clearly incensed at the idea of losing.

In response, the blonde tossed out a brown Pokémon with a purple pleated tunic, wearing bright red boxing gloves, and shifting its weight defensively, arms held up to shield its eyes from the afternoon sun; keeping its eyes on the move and completely alert.

Swooping down, again without warning, Christina's Pokémon dove down upon Brown's, obviously throwing caution to the winds, and hoping to end the battle quickly. Suddenly shifting its weight, Brown's Pokémon hit the ground, causing Aerodactyl to miss by mere inches, and overshoot its target, slamming into the ground with an earth shattering 'thud'.

Brown's Pokémon then charged forward, and powered up two of Skyla's most feared and detested moves as a Flying type trainer; Thunderpunch and Icepunch. The dual attack connected with tremendous force before anyone, other than Brown's Pokémon, could move.

It was a grizzly sight. Half of the flying fossil lay still, left side charred and blackened, whilst the other half lay in a small pile of ice, leaving the searing electrical burns resting in the cold, reducing the swelling and pain the helpless Pokémon would be forced to endure when it woke up.

At this point, Skyla was questioning her sanity. She had seen many strange things in her life, Litwicks stealing life-force energy, Gyarados' locked in a mating dance, heck, she had even seen an unholy fusion of Pokémon Contest and Pokemon Musical, and this _still_ topped them all.

Turning up her face to the darkening sky above, Skyla mused, "Why did I allow this guy into my airspace again?"


End file.
